| Term | Definition |
|---|
| government | the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies |
| public policies | are all those things a government decides to do |
| the state | is a body of people, living in a defined territory, organized politically(under a government), and having the power to make and enforce laws w/out the consent of higher authority |
| 4 characteristics of a state | population, territory, sovereignty, government |
| sovereignty | has supreme authority and absolute power with in its own country;decides its own foreign and domestic policies;isnt subordinate or not responsible to any other authority |
| homogeneous | people who are basically alike |
| herterogenous | different races, languages, religions, cultures/customs |
| two types of populations | homogeneous and herterogenous |
| false | TRUE OR FALSE : the states w/in the U.S. are sovereign |
| 4 theories about the development of government | force, evolutionary, divine right, social contract |
| force theory | one person or group forced all others into submission |
| evolutinary theory | state developed naturally out of the early family;family to clan to tribe; became a state when people gave up nomadic ways |
| divine right theory | state was created by God; rulers reigned on behalf of God; |
| Places that believe in divine right theory | Europe, China, Aztec, Maya, Japeanse, Egypt |
| Social Contract Theory | theory of government says that governments were created when people agreed to give up some limited rights in order to make other, more basic rights , secure |
| State of Nature | no government, all people free, what you took by force belonged to you; individals were as safe as they were strong |
| 3 important concepts of social contact | popular sovereignty, limited government, individual rights |
| purpose of government | to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, secure the blessings of liberty |
| what does it mean when we say that justice is to give to another what is rightfully his? | means that the law, in both its content and its administration, must be reasonale, fair, and impartial |
| insure domestic tranquility | keeping peace at home; order instead of anarchy |
| anarchy | no government or without law and order |
| to provide for the common defense | defending the nation against foreign enemies is a major responsibilities; foreign policy/diplomacy; reason why armed forces are under the contol of the central government |
| foreign policy/diplomacy | important part of defending the nation |
| To provide for the common defense | just war doctrine-when is a country justified in going to war? |
| 4 Just war points | 1.someone who attacks you has to do serious damage 2. try everything you can to not go to war 3. must be a good a good chance of winnning 4. dmage that you do has to be less than the evil you are trying to stop |
| to promote the general welfare | governments are to be servants of the people |
| ways that the government serves the people | help pay for rent for some people, food stamps, jobs, safety(police, fire dept.) |
| to secure the blessings of liberty | to us and our posterity |
| 3 ways to classify governments | 1. the geographic distribution of government power w/in the state 2. the relationship between the legislative and executive branches 3. the number of persons who can take part in the governing process |
| what are the 3 types of government based on distribution of power | unitary, federal, confederate |
| unitary | all power belongs to a central agency; most national governments; ex. individual states in the U.S |
| federal | power is divided between the central government and local governments; ex. U.S.A |
| confederate | is a alliance of independent states; central government has only the power given to it by the states; ex. articles of confederation |
| presidental government | legislative and executive are co-equal branches; seperation of powers; checks and balances; ex. U.S.A. |
| parlimentary government | voters select legislators who select executive and judiciary brances; prime minister; ex. Canada or England |
| democracy | rule by consent of those governed |
| dictatorship | rulers not responsible to the people they govern |
| two types of democracy | direct and representative |
| direct deomocracy (pure democracy) | all citizens have a voice not only in selection of the government but in the policies themselves; doesnt work at the national level: ex. ancient athens |
| representative democracy (rebulic or republican) | citizens choose representatives to govern; ex. France |
| fundamental principles of democracy | a recognition of the fundamental worth and dignitiy of every person; a respect for the equality of all persons; a faith in majority rule and an insistence upon minority rights; an acceptance to the necessity of compromise; an insistence upon the wildest possible degree of individual freedom |
| what does a respect for all persons include | equality of oppurtunity; equality before law |
| when does the supreme court year begin? | october |
| Salazar v. Buono | wether or not there can be religious displays on public land |
| Maryland v. Shatzer | wether a lawyer has to be present to be able to use a confession against the questioned |
| Grahm V. Florida/ Sullivan v. Florida | wether or not someone under the age of 18 can be sentenced to life without parole |
| NRA v. Chicago/ McDonald v. Chicago | chicago has a law that prohibits the carrying og hand guns and automatic weapons; people want it removed |
| American Needle v. NFL | weather or not the NFL has the power over all of teams logos |
| 2 types of government based on the realtionship between the legislative and executive branches | presidential and parliamentary |
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